Down With The Calendar

Why you should be keeping a logbook instead of a journal.

Not quite a journal, not quite a calendar. The logbook is a low-friction way to catalog your day, and artist Austin Kleon is a big believer:

It’s not a diary or a journal. It’s a book of lists. The lists are simple facts.

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Keeping a simple list of who/what/where means I write down events that seem mundane at the time, but later on help paint a better portrait of the day, or even become more significant over time. By “sticking to the facts” I don’t pre-judge what was important or what wasn’t, I just write it down.

At the very least, a logbook helps you keep track of progress, which can serve as a big motivator.